PHOENIX — The Dodgers have fielded stacked groups through the earlier 12 years, however none of them had been as stacked because the staff they’ve now.
A $1.4-billion winter final yr was adopted by a $465-million winter this yr, the continued investments within the roster providing them an opportunity to do greater than grow to be the primary staff to defend its World Sequence title in 25 years.
The Dodgers have an opportunity to grow to be the best staff in baseball historical past.
They’ve an opportunity to win 120 video games.
Maintain on — 120 video games?
Is that actually attainable?
“In fact,” Dodgers veteran shortstop Miguel Rojas stated.
Rojas talked about how the file for wins in a season is 116, shared by the 1906 Chicago Cubs and 2001 Seattle Mariners.
“It’s simply 4 extra wins,” Rojas stated.
Take a look at the nameplates above the lockers on the staff’s spring-training facility and Rojas’ declare turns into self-explanatory.
The Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani walks to the clubhouse on the staff’s spring coaching facility after figuring out Tuesday in Phoenix.
(Ross D. Franklin / Related Press)
Mookie Betts, Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki on one facet. Freddie Freeman, Max Muncy and Teoscar Hernández on an adjoining wall. Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow and Clayton Kershaw close to the doorway resulting in the load room.
“I feel now we have the expertise on this staff,” Rojas stated. “It’s a extremely particular staff. If we mix that with the character and we get all people on the identical boat, I feel we are able to win quite a lot of video games.”
Different gamers stated they weren’t excited about successful a selected variety of regular-season video games, which, satirically, is why the Dodgers may take down the Cubs’ and Mariners’ joint file.
“I don’t care about that in any respect,” Betts stated. “We haven’t performed recreation one, man. We have now to handle Recreation 1.”
The significance of specializing in the subsequent recreation slightly than the win complete or the championship was additionally emphasised by Muncy.
“We’re simply making an attempt to handle enterprise and put ourselves in a great place to make the postseason,” Muncy stated. “That’s crucial factor, making the postseason. It doesn’t matter if it’s 90 wins, 120 wins.”
Muncy stated the staff has established a tradition of staying current.
“You may’t take a look at what we’ve already achieved,” he stated. “You may’t take a look at what we’re making an attempt to do. We’re simply specializing in what we are able to do at this second.”
For Muncy and Betts and the staff’s different infielders, the precedence through the staff’s first exercise on Tuesday was to grow to be higher acquainted with one another. Betts, who moved again to his pure place in proper discipline after a midseason harm final yr, has returned to shortstop. Their projected starter at second base, Hyeseong Kim, is a newcomer who performed final yr within the Korean Baseball Group.
Together with Rojas and Chris Taylor, Muncy stated, the group has “been on the market for a few week and a half now, each single day for a number of hours, making an attempt to get floor balls, simply making an attempt to get higher on protection.”
Such consideration to element was important in October. Within the World Sequence towards the New York Yankees, the Dodgers weren’t simply the extra gifted staff. They had been additionally the extra basically sound staff, making the most of the Yankees’ rubbish protection to erase a five-run deficit of their series-clinching Recreation 5 victory.
“What I can inform you is the mentality of all people on this room is to win each single day,” Rojas stated. “So if we are able to win 162, we’re gonna attempt to win 162. I do know it’s inconceivable, and it’s actually arduous to win 120 video games, however on the finish of the day, that’s the expectation.”
The strategy has resulted in 11 division titles and two World Sequence championships in 12 years. Now, with the costliest assortment of expertise in baseball historical past, the identical mindset may produce a record-breaking season.
Half of their starters may go down with accidents and the Dodgers would nonetheless have the deepest rotation in baseball. They spent $85 million on Tanner Scott and Kirby Yates to enhance what was already probably the most reliable bullpens within the recreation. They nonetheless have a traditionally harmful lineup that features the likes of Ohtani, Betts and Freeman. They’ve a gradual and trusted chief in supervisor Dave Roberts.
Historical past is inevitable. One-hundred twenty wins feels inside attain.